summer...

So far so good!

Exciting news... our boy, who is going into 3rd grade at Zamo (gasp!) had one of his photos selected for the annual youth photography exhibit at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego. This makes tow years in row. The theme of the show was "family". His photo captures us in the process of breaking into a friend's house...

I've picked up charcoal and chalk for the first time in a while to start a series of vintage trailer drawings. The first two are of our 2 trailers. I'll be heading over to take photos at a local trailer restoration shop for more source material.

Cecil at the beach.

Ethel and the girls in the backyard.

I've also been asked to become a contributing editor for Art and Activities magazine! Looking forward to contributing more pieces in the future:)

end of days.

School days, that is;)

The 2013-14 school year is officially over at Zamo! After the 5th grade mural was complete I worked with kids last week so they could finish glazing ceramics projects.

Greedo helping me supervise some chalking from up high.

I also worked with my green card class winners for each grade level. These classes earned the most green cards throughout the year for working respectfully in my art room. As a reward, they earned lessons that no other classes in their grade levels received.

3 classes created interactive chalk drawings. They created a large drawing on the blacktop and then had to lie down and place themselves somewhere in it. I then took a photo of them from up on a ladder. The other 3 classes got to do packing p-nut sculptures, which were a big hit as well.

2nd graders working as a team:)

5th grade laser battle!

1st grade sculptor.

So, this summer I plan on doing a few camping trips with the fam and our "new" old canned ham Cecil,  some drawings of vintage trailers, some chillin, and I guess I'll have to do some planning at some point too:)

My preferred summer vantage point;)

over 200 kids and 4 days paint.

Whew!

All we got left is touch ups, folks. All 7 5th grade classes participated in our 5th annual 5th grade legacy public art project. The kids had a blast and so did I:) So many kids wanted to spend more time working on the wall, but I've got to keep them moving so that everyone gets a chance to participate.

We have gotten a very supportive and appreciative response from everyone that has seen this multicultural mural. I think it's my favorite one that we have done. 

Hard to believe that I penciled it in on Monday and we were done painting on Friday. Needless to say, I'm tired. My wild Friday night had me falling asleep on the couch by 8:30.

This mural has got my creative juices flowing. I'm going to put together a proposal for mural project in North county in the next week...

Let's see, the patterns come from the following places or groups- the Philippines, Mexico, Morocco, Somalia, India, Asia, the Pacific Islands, the Kumeyaay, Europe, France, Gee's Bend Alabama, the American colonies, and South America. 

2012 with 2014:)

legacy mural progress.

We're off and running on the mural and I've got to say that I'm a little giddy over how it's looking so far. Going in, I was a little more nervous than usual due to the amount of detail in it, but that feeling has passed and has been replaced with a very good feeling, indeed:)

I drew the thing out on Monday, from 8-4 pm. All pencil and then I went over the lines with a fat sharpie so they were easier to see. Wow, there's a lot of math in this drawing!

Kids started painting on Tuesday and continued on our minimum day today. Kids get out at noon on Wednesdays.

We ought to be pretty close to done by Friday afternoon. With a 5th grade field trip on Monday of next week I don't expect to be totally done until next Tuesday at the earliest.

I know I said it before, but I LOVE doing these with our 5th graders at the end of the year:)

Stay tuned....

the weather is heating up...

so it must be time for another 5th grade legacy project!

This year, each of the 5th graders will be contributing to a mural that is inspired by the variety of cultures that make up our Zamorano community. I pulled patterns from tiles, weavings, baskets, and other art forms from around the world to use in the mural. It will be 9 x 24'.

On Monday, with the help of a few students, I'll be drawing out the design. On Tuesday, the kids will start painting. I expect the project to take approximately 6 school days to complete. Stay tuned for progress posts next week.

Wish us luck!